Workout Fun?
Did you know that research shows that the right tunes can actually help you enjoy your workouts more? I recently read this article and thought the concept was great. If you are prone to hanging out on the couch, the right music may just help you get your bootie movin'. Check out the playlist selections posted in the article, it may be just the motivation you need to get up, get out, and start having a little fun. :)
Here are the top 5 songs that get me excited to exercise:
1. Right Round- Chani
2. Lovegame- Lady Gaga
3. Glamorous (Craig Dice remix)- Fergie
4. Maneater- Nelly Furtado
5. Bounce That- Girl Talk
What tunes get you moving?
Your beat loving dietitian in Cambridge,
Marci
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Product Showcase: My Lil' Coach
Each month I highlight a product I love. It's usually food, but this month I wanted to highlight a pretty cool IPhone app. It's called My Lil Coach, developed by Registered Dietitian Lisa Bunce.
In her 20 years of nutrition counseling experience, she ran across the dilemma that most people have- figuring out a way to stay consistent with making positive changes for their health...for the LONG-TERM. Here's a little summary on the product:
Mylilcoach is an iphone or ipod touch application that uses gentle reminders on the app on your iphone or ipod periodically throughout the day at pre-determined time intervals. In addition to a built in pedometer, these gentle nudges help her clients change behavior and comply with the basics of a healthy lifestyle: eating right, staying hydrated, increasing physical activity and practicing mindfulness in eating and stress reduction. The application saves your data for tracking purposes, which can be sent to your healthcare provider daily, weekly, or monthly. Lisa has seen that the use of the app by individuals changes habits and keeps healthy regimes in the forethought of the patient and changes in behaviors.
Current research at Stanford University shows that the development of healthy behaviors can be achieved and maintained by using gentle reminders. This growing body of research reflects that even the smallest amount of social support can influence an individual's ability to change behavior.
To access and download the application for $1.99 visit:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mylilcoach/id376407824?mt=8
For more information visit: www.Mylilcoach.com
I love that she incorporates gentle reminders to practice mindfulness-based eating. What a fantastic product to help encourage you to spend time developing healthy behaviors. I'm going to start using it and will keep you posted on my experience.
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Measurement of Health: Our Neck?
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I think measuring things like weight and BMI isn't all that useful. I just don't feel that the information tells us a whole lot about our health. I believe that it gives us a sliver of information, not the whole picture. I believe that focusing on behavior is much more important. Working towards healthier eating habits and moving our bodies more is far more productive for our health than being concerned about the number on the scale (which for someone who works with eating disorders knows that weight tells very little about health).
Check out the book "Big Fat Lies" if you are interested. The author describes (in detail) the flawed data that our current BMI and weight charts as based on. I highly recommend it.
Just today, a client forwarded me an article I couldn't help blogging about because it's just so darn ridiculous. Apparently a new study shows that your neck measurement may actually be a better way to determine your body fattness. What!? As if we need another number to be concerned about.
The study authors had the following to say:
"We've been using BMI to advise parents and patients for making healthy choices," he said. "Unfortunately, often we tell someone their BMI is 27 or 30, most of the time it doesn't mean much. To tell you that your neck is wide, these are some of the risks associated to it -- that we feel people would be able to relate to it better than BMI."
I couldn't help but laugh. Let me be so bold as to offer you some advice- stop obsessing about numbers. Stay focused on what you can do today and every day to be healthy: get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, eat lots of produce, make an effort to move your body, you get the idea.
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Orthorexia: Can healthy eating be a disease?!
Yesterday, I received several emails with a link to this article on a condition called "Orthorexia." Most people read the article and wondered if it was serious, wondered if it wasn't some sort of exaggeration or joke.
And while I admit, reading about it online may seem strange or even ridiculous, it is a true disorder that affects both the physical and emotional health of a lot of people. Just read my recent client spotlight. What began as "healthy eating" and exercising for her, quickly became orthorexia, which then became a much more severe eating disorder that required residential treatment and intensive outpatient care.
Now of course I believe in healthy eating and exercise- my life is committed to supporting it in myself and others! BUT, the distinction between healthy living and orthorexia are two important words: unhealthy obsession. You can read more on the Orthorexia home page, written by Dr. Steven Bratman who coined the term and wrote the book "Health Food Junkies."
<Ironically, I just loaned my copy to a client who has suffered mental, emotional, and physical distress FOR YEARS due to an unhealthy obsession with "healthy" eating and exercise.> My clients who suffer from orthorexia share a single characteristic- the obsession diminishes rather than enhances their quality of life. Relationships suffer, social isolation ensues, they have often feel paralyzed, depression/anxiety is worse, sleep patterns are affected, etc.
My philosophy is that moderation with food, exercise, and in life- is the key! And I also believe that we are meant to find enjoyment, satisfaction, and fulfillment from the food we eat. Anything taken to an extreme is unhealthy. If you have always been interested in "healthy" living and are curious as to whether or not you are taking a bit too far, the assessment below may be helpful to you. This is taken from Dr. Bratman's book.
Dr. Bratman suggests that you may be orthorexic, or on your way there, if you:
o Spend more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food.
o Plan your day’s menu more than 24 hour ahead of time.
o Take more pleasure from the “virtuous” aspect of your food than from actually eating it.
o Find your quality of life decreasing as the “quality” of your food increases.
o Are increasingly rigid and self-critical about your eating.
o Base your self-esteem on eating “healthy” foods, and have a lower opinion of people who do not.
o Eat “correct” foods to the avoidance of all those that you’ve always enjoyed.
o So limit what you can eat that you can dine “correctly” only at home, spending less and less time with friends and family.
o Feel guilt or self-loathing when you eat “incorrect” foods.
o Derive a sense of self-control from eating “properly.”
Bratman suggests that if more than four of these descriptions applies to you, it may be time to take a step back and reassess your attitude toward what you eat. If they all apply, you’re in the grip of an obsession.
This seems to be a controversial topic. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Striving to live a balanced life in hectic Harvard Square,
Marci
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Client Spotlight: Cooking and Climbing
Each month I look forward to posting a client spotlight. And I'm so grateful that "A" was willing to share her story with all of you. It has been so gratifying to work with her as she has worked hard to develop a happy/healthy relationship with food. She has fought hard in her recovery from an eating disorder and along her path found two keys to healthy eating and exercise- cooking and climbing. Read on and enjoy.
Six months ago I hit a low point in my battle with an eating disorder. I had literally run my body into the ground through a long-standing combination of over-exercise and under-eating. It took three full months in a treatment center to restore my body to health, but it continues to take work to restore my mentality surrounding food and eating healthfully. Thanks to the support of Marci and my therapist, (as well as constantly checking in with myself on a daily basis), I can honestly say that I am in a place that I haven’t been in for years. My approach to both food and nutrition has been transformed. No, I don’t pretend to say that disordered thoughts and tendencies don’t exist – but I know how to fight them.
Background
I never intentionally tried to compromise my health or destroy my body with an eating disorder. Rather, it felt like something I could control in the middle of an emotional tornado. I had always been an athlete, rowing through college then running marathons in the years afterward. I thought I knew about sports nutrition and healthy eating. But what was originally a way of staying healthy became an addiction; I only allowed certain foods into my body, at certain times, in certain amounts. I shut off everything my body was telling me. I continued pushing myself physically, until my body nearly gave out. I was mentally, emotionally, and physically spent. I had a brutal awakening in January of this year and realized that I couldn’t continue treating my body this way. So I decided to give up all control for the sake of getting both my healthy and my life back.
The early stages of treatment were both physically and emotionally intense, uncomfortable, and even painful. But the challenge now is regaining a healthy perspective around eating, exercise, and maintaining life balance. I am a different person now – physically, yes, but more important, mentally. While there is clearly no single thing that helps individuals recover from an eating disorder, two processes have remarkably helped me find my way to a fresh food mentality: cooking and climbing. Let me explain. :)
Cooking
I had never really cooked a meal to share with others; sure, I cook my own food, but I had never truly enjoyed food preparation because of my tight restrictions on what I allowed myself to eat. I ate a baked sweet potato but never cheesy mashed potatoes. I grilled fish with lemon but would never have given it a maple glaze, for example. I can’t explain it, but there were so many foods I wouldn’t eat in the midst of the eating disorder simply because the dish, as a whole, terrified me. I met a friend, however, whose joy was in cooking delicious meals and who graciously began to share that skill with me. I began to help with the cooking a couple times each week as we made dinner for ourselves. Something about the process of creating a meal and being involved in each piece of onion dicing or butter melting made something in my head suddenly click. Once I prepared a “challenge food” in this context, from start to finish, it was no longer scary or off limits – I could easily see exactly what it was, and in breaking it down into ingredients and steps. What had been a looming pasta nightmare, for instance, became a delicious, hearty pasta dinner that I could enjoy with a great friend. So challenge by challenge, I realized the key to tackling my fears was just to cook them! And I know now that all I have to do when confronted with something that I hesitate to eat, or when I think twice about whether something is “healthy enough,” is cook it myself and understand that it is simply food – delicious and nutritious in all of its forms.
Climbing
Coming from years of exercising for the wrong reasons, I have been careful, in my recovery, to approach exercise as something that I WANT to do for the sake of enjoyment. The same friend has recently reintroduced me to hiking and backpacking as a fantastic form of physical activity. I must admit that in recent years I haven’t been an enthusiastic hiker…it did’t provide the physical challenge and intense vigorous exercise that I thought I needed. But in re-learning what is healthy and good for my body, as well as what is thoroughly fun in the process, I am coming to absolutely love the periodic hikes and trips I have been taking through New Hampshire’s White Mountains. But they have been invaluable as well in what they have taught me about my body’s needs regarding nutrition.
I have realized through the months of treatment that I need to put a lot more food into my body in the course of a day than I was ever aware of, simply to get through a normal, busy weekday. Butthrowing in about 4000 feet of elevation and miles of trail, I discovered that food is, plain and simple, fuel for my body. Without sufficient amounts of food, I cannot perform. I have been at the point of tears on a trail, body exhausted. Yet after refueling I’m suddenly happy and able to continue going.
Of course, we all know that proper nutrition allows us to live and have the energy our bodies need. But it wasn’t until a hard day of hiking that I was able to see the direct correlation between food in and energy out. Easy. It was so freeing to realize that to some extent, it doesn’t matter what I put in – I need the fats, the carbohydrates, EVERYTHING, in order to do what I want to do.
But this applies to the rest of life too! Pretty much any food, in moderation, can and will be used by my body to live the active, healthy life I want to live. And in consuming every food, in a variety, I am happier. Eating what I want to eat, when I want to eat it, is less of a challenge when I acknowledge that food is fuel. End of story.
So of course, the mental battles of eating habits are there, and they may always be, but they are few and far between. And when they arise, I know how to fight them. I am committed to living a life that isn’t dictated by my food choices, but enhanced by them. And I’m getting closer!
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Nutritious Eating on a Budget
Today I'm appearing on the Money Matters Network Radio Program at 2:00. You can tune in live here or listen at WBNW AM 1120 Boston.
I will be mentioning a handout: Nutritious Eating on a Budget. Click here to access the handout. And to those of you who tuned in and listened- thank you!
Feel free to call in and ask me an easy question. :) 888-205-2263.
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Fitness Fact: Muscles = Metabolism, Really?
Each month I try to write a little blurb on something exercise-related and I stumbled across an interesting tid- bit while preparing for a recent seminar.
Once we hit our 30's, our Resting Energy Expenditure* begins to decline by .8% for women and 1% for men each decade. Translation: in our 30's our metabolism begins to slow down.
*REE = 55-75% of the calories or energy our body expends in a day. These are involuntary, life sustaining activities like breathing, circulation, hormone secretion, and nerve/brain activity.
How does this decline happen? Through the loss 1.5-2 pounds of lean body mass per year. Yikes!
But here's the good news. We can off-set this age-related muscle loss by strength training. Whoohoo!!! A simple 20-30 min a couple of times a week is all it takes.
So join a strength training class, buy an exercise video and some dumbbells, or start by climbing stairs. Every little bit counts!
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Marci RD on the Radio
Hey Friends,
I will be making my first radio appearance this Friday at 2:00 on the Money Matters Radio Network. You can tune in live here or listen at WBNW AM 1120 Boston.
I'll be talking about nutrition myths and facts relating to eating healthy on a budget, dieting, and metabolism. So get your questions ready! You can call in to 888-205-2263. I'd love to hear a friend on the other end of the line. :)
Wish me luck!
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Beyond Calorie Counting
Yesterday I gave a nutrition seminar for a group of women at Get in Shape for Women at Central Square in Cambridge. One of the themes that developed during my seminar is that many women simply don't trust themselves with food! They want to be told exactly what and how much to eat, since they obviously "aren't don't it right."
My goal in the work I do with my clients is to teach them they don't have to spend their days counting calories or following rigid rules (we have better things to do!). More important than following some strict plan is beginning to tune in to what your body is telling you. Your body has the wisdom, you just need to listen.
One of the tools I encourage my clients to utilize in on our work is a food journal. And when used properly, it can foster awareness and help you listen to your body in a way you might never have before.
I ask my clients to keep a food journal that is a bit of a pain in the rear end because it's somewhat involved. It includes a place to record time of day, hunger/fullness ratings, what and how much they are eating, feelings/ emotions they are experiencing, what triggered or caused them to eat, where they are eating, and who they are eating with. Phew! That's a lot of information.
While that might seem a little over the top, I find that gathering this sort of data points us in a very useful direction. We start to observe patterns and discover together what specific things trip them up and prevent them from feeding their bodies well. Instead of focusing too narrowly on the "what and how much" category (which is often the case when people are trying to eat healthier), my clients become tuned into the many components which affect food choice. Instead of only working superficially with eating, we begin getting down to the root of the problem.
My hope is that through this food journaling, my clients begin to listen to and trust themselves around food, rather than looking for validation outside of themselves (ie a calorie count, point plan, number on the scale). Is it important to consider food and it's nutritional value? Of course! But it's simply one piece of the puzzle.
I recently received this article from a client and think you may enjoy reading it. Many of the author's points reflect the importance of paying attention to the many factors which affect food choice, not just the calorie count on the back of the nutrition label.
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Homemade Granola Bars: Walnut & Dried Cherry
Have you ever noticed that most granola bars keep you full for like 30 minutes? That always really bugs me. I like granola bars because they are tasty and portable. But on the flip-side the more nutritious bars (like Larabars and Kind bars) can be expensive and the less expensive bars (like Nature Valley and Fiber One) aren't particularly nutritious or filling.
So I decided to try making my own. I found this recipe by Ellie Krieger (dietitian and Food Network star) and really liked them! They are simple to make and a batch lasted me and my husband about two weeks (in fact, these bars would also freeze well). They are much heartier and more filling than a regular granola bar. I paired a square with yogurt for breakfast, loved it as an afternoon snack, and found that a small square made for a perfect pre-workout snack.
A couple of notes:
*I used regular flour b/c I had run out of whole wheat
*Toasted wheat germ can be found at most grocery stores and should be stored in the fridge after opening
*I found the apricot preserves at Trader Joe's
*The recipe says it makes 12 servings, but I think I cut ours into 15 or 16
Walnut & Dried Cherry Bars
Ingredients
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten to mix
1 egg white
3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Cooking spray
1/4 cup "fruit only" apricot preserves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries and walnuts.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Put the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars, about 4 by1 1/2 inches each.
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